Till then, wish the best for me: When Irrfan Khan first opened up about his ‘rare’ disease

In March 2018, Irrfan Khan said he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour for which he would be treated abroad. He left for London with his family and stayed there for over a year with a couple of visits to India in between.

Image Courtesy: Instagram

New Delhi: It was on March 5, 2018, when actor Irrfan Khan, who died on Wednesday (April 29) at the age of 53, revealed that he was diagnosed with a ‘rare disease’ and requested people not to speculate anything as he would keep everyone posted. "Little had I known that my search for rare stories would make me find a rare disease. I have never given up and have always fought for my choices and always will. My family and friends are with me and we are working it out the best way possible,” read an excerpt from his post.

“In trying times, please don't speculate as I will myself share with you my story within a week - ten days when the further investigations come with a conclusive diagnosis. Till then, wish the best for me,” Irrfan added.

pic.twitter.com/JXD8NKwH3D — Irrfan (@irrfank) March 5, 2018

About 10 days later, on March 16, Irrfan shared another update on his health. The versatile actor said he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour for which he would be treated abroad. He left for London with his family and stayed there for over a year with a couple of visits to India in between.

"Learning that I have been diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumour as of now has now has admittedly been difficult, but the love and strength of those around me and that I found within me has brought me to a place of hope. The journey of this is taking me out of the country, and I request everyone to continue sending their wishes. As for the rumours that were floated NEURO is not always about the brain and googling is the easiest way to do research. To those who waited for my words, I hope to be back with more stories to tell," he said in a statement on Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/IDThvTr6yF — Irrfan (@irrfank) March 16, 2018

This was just before the release of his film ‘Blackmail’. The Abhinav Deo-directed film hit the screens as per schedule on April 4, reportedly on Irrfan’s request. In the same year, another film of Irrfan, titled ‘Karwaan’, released. His health didn’t allow him to take part in promotions, but he actively tweeted about the film.

In April 2019, Irrfan briefly returned to India and tweeted, "Maybe, somewhere in the pursuit of winning, we forget how much it means to be loved. In our vulnerability, we are reminded. As I leave my footprints onto these steps of my life, I want to pause to be grateful for receiving your immense love and support, it soothed me in my process of healing. So I travel back to you, thanking you from the bottom of my heart."

pic.twitter.com/d4Osol3NvP — Irrfan (@irrfank) April 3, 2019

It was during this time he started shooting for ‘Angrezi Medium’, his last film. ‘Angrezi Medium’ was first shot in Udaipur and the second schedule was filmed in London. He finished the film and shared updates about the project on Twitter.

Ahead of the trailer release, Irrfan tweeted a heartwarming audio-visual note for his fans. He posted the message with the caption, “As we embark on the journey to release #AngreziMedium, here’s a small note for you all.”

As we embark on the journey to release #AngreziMedium, here’s a small note for you allhttps://t.co/Sr0Pp1x3dv #AngreziMedium trailer out tomorrow! — Irrfan (@irrfank) February 12, 2020

His last tweet was shared on April 12 to inform the viewers about the release of ‘Angrezi Medium’ on Disney+Hotstar.

Mr. Champak’s state of mind: Love from the inside, making sure to show it outside!  #AngreziMedium now streaming on @DisneyplusHSVIP: https://t.co/z23Vlobb77#KareenaKapoorKhan @radhikamadan01 #DeepakDobriyal #DineshVijan #HomiAdajania #DimpleKapadia @RanvirShorey pic.twitter.com/SiWA2TK1OJ — Irrfan (@irrfank) April 12, 2020

Irrfan breathed his last on Wednesday at a hospital in Mumbai. It was a long battle with the tumour and on Tuesday, he was admitted to the hospital after he was diagnosed with a colon infection. His mother died over the weekend at the age of 95.